Summer Menu at Pylos: Greek Yogurt, Both Savory and Sweet

Pylos, one of Gothamist's favorite Greek restaurants in Manhattan, is getting ready to debut a summer menu that features Greek yogurt, in ways that might surprise a typical Yoplait or Dannon fan.

While Americans tend to make yogurt a sweet, healthy snack, Greeks have been using it in everything from very garlicky tzaziki to extremely sweet, honey-laden desserts for centuries.

Gothamist got a chance to sample the special summer menu, that runs the gamut from chilled roasted red pepper soup to stuffed grape leaves to grilled baby lamb chops--each incorporating yogurt in its own way. And while Diane Kochilas, the consulting chef at Pylos, has remained true to traditional Greek cuisine, she doesn't seem to be too tightly reined in; for example, she reinterprets the very French napoleon in a Greek way, using phyllo in place of puff pastry and finishing the dish with an orange-honey syrup.

Pylos' summer menu begins next Tuesday, July 5th.

PYLOS, 128 East 7th Street (between Ave. A and First Ave.) ph., 212-473-0220

Photo courtesy of www.pylosrestaurant.com.